


Fake relationship matchmaking

by TheyDraggedMeInNowIAintLeaving



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alive Erica and Boyd, Alive Hales, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - No Hale Fire (Teen Wolf), Alternate Universe - Werewolves Are Known, Because I love that trope, Best friends Cora and Stiles, Cora and Stiles pretends to be dating, Fake Relationship, Hales Are Still Werewolves, M/M, Matchmaking, Not that it comes up, Pre-Relationship, and I'm not the least bit sorry about it, because story's gotta story, cora and stiles friendship, occasionally author thinks author is funny
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:47:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28187895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheyDraggedMeInNowIAintLeaving/pseuds/TheyDraggedMeInNowIAintLeaving
Summary: In which Cora devices a plan to set up her brother and best friend that would never work outside of a fictional piece of work
Relationships: Cora Hale & Stiles Stilinski, Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 221
Collections: 12 Days of Sterek





	Fake relationship matchmaking

**Author's Note:**

> Every day of this cursed year has felt like centuries, but somehow December passed by without me noticing making me a week behind on everything.  
> In the spirit of the above sentence: I hope this makes sense for anybody not inside my head, and that it'll bring you some enjoyment.
> 
> Did I forget a tag? Let me know and I'll add it. Kudos and comments encouraged, and as always: Yes, I do take title suggestion ~~(even if I don't actively hate this one)~~

Stiles learns early on in their friendship that Cora is a _terrible_ wingman. She’s as nervous talking to girls as he is – unless she likes them, at which point she clams up and defaults to the look that had made someone cry on the day he’d met her… in college – and somehow still even worse with boys, though at least they don’t have to argue over who gets first shot.

On those grounds it’s probably no surprise she’s just as bad at setting him up.  
The first one had been Lydia – redheaded goddess and mathematic genius, talked for an hour about some unsolvable equation or something; honestly, Stiles spaced out a minute in, because no matter how interesting she found the subject he was the one who had to deal with a head ache the size of Texas. He hadn’t been disappointed when she didn’t suggest a second date, but had been surprised when she’d texted him a few days later asking if he wanted to join her study group. Now, six months later, they’ve built a solid friendship and Stiles gets to laugh at her and Cora dance around each other.

Second had been Isaac and to this date Stiles has no idea why Cora thought they would match up. Isaac’s a pretentious dick who wears scarves even when it’s a 100 degrees outside. He’d also shared the story of someone digging up graves to steal livers back when Isaac had worked as a grave digger, and really, there had not been enough happy in Stiles’ happy place to keep him from having a few nightmares about that. What can he say, he’s a sensitive soul.  
Still, he’d turned out to be a good friend of Cora’s who suddenly made a home on their couch and eventually Stiles learnt to overlook the scarves and dickishness and form a tentative friendship with the guy.

And last but certainly not least had been Erica. Every bit as gorgeous (and terrifying) as Lydia but far easier to talk to once Stiles had convinced his flight instinct to shut the heck up and _not_ run away as fast as possible; he’d only succeeded once he’d made it clear that even in ten inch stilettos she could probably outrun him without breaking a sweat.  
That said it had by far been the best experience of the three considering he and Erica shared a love of comics and superhero movies, and they’d ended the night falling asleep on each other’s shoulder to an old Batman movie.

He’s honestly just grateful Boyd was snatched by Erica before Cora had the brilliant idea of setting them up.

And so it’s with Cora’s less than stellar track record in mind he refuses when she jubilantly bursts into his room on a Saturday morning and declares that she’s “finally found the perfect one for your picky ass,” to which Stiles does what any mature twenty year old would do and throws his pillow at her and pulls the covers over his head. They’ve been roommates long enough she should know he doesn’t get out of bed before noon in the weekends.  
Not that it ever has or ever will deter her when she’s gotten something in her head, which is why she just crawls into his bed and proceeds to tell him about this mystery dude that is apparently destined to be the love of Stiles’ life.  
Thankfully for Stiles he’s every bit as stubborn as Cora and in the end he manages to make her see reason.

~x~

Stiles and Cora had met on the first day of college.  
She was blunt and standoffish, made somebody cry within five seconds of opening her mouth, had serial killer eyebrows (no, really, those things looked like they could move around on their own and _would_ use their newfound freedom to strangle you). That’s not even to mention the scowl on her face or the fact that she looked like she could take a guy three times the size of Stiles and break him in half – with one arm tied on her back that is.  
Still, Stiles had sat himself next to her and kept up a constant stream of chatter until she relaxed and her eyebrows looked less murder-y and by the end of the day Stiles officially declared them friends.

They’d suffered through dormitory life together, reminded each other to eat and drink and spend as much time gossiping about the other students in the library, making up silly stories about them, as they did studying. And learning that Cora was also from Beacon Hills gave them even more people to make outrageously crazy stories for. It also helped him getting home the first Christmas when Roscoe finally gave up the spirit, and Cora offered him a seat in her sister’s car.

By the time exams were done and summer was just a few days away Cora had dragged him off campus to an upscale restaurant and when they left, full of great and _expensive_ food, they each had a key to a house half a mile from school where they’d be living until graduation. He’d thought Cora was intense but she had nothing on their new landlord, who was also Cora’s uncle, who’d told him to his face that if he ever thought Stiles would pose a threat to their family he knew how to get rid of a body. Which made Peter the second person Stiles knew to make that threat believable and he’d been duly impressed to the point where the man had nodded and proceeded to ask the two of them questions about classes and majors as well as make interested noises when Stiles went on a tangent that had nothing to do with the rest of the conversation.

Then an embarrassing length of time went by before Stiles realized he’d been adopted by the Hales solely by virtue of being Cora’s friend. He’s not going to get into how he found out the same had happened to his dad, though the sight of his dad and Peter Hale in flagrante was enough to put him off his beloved curly fries for a few hours. There are some things a son’s not supposed to see after all.

But in the excitement that is having a house to themselves and nobody to keep watch over them in their daily lives, Stiles doesn’t dwell too much on things like that, and instead chooses to focus on the fact that his dad had seemed happy in a way he hasn’t for years and make sure to give Peter a talk that’s equally sincere as the one Peter had given him when allowing him to move into his house with Cora last summer.  
Then there’s a heavier course load taking a lot of time and the new friends he and Cora has made with all his failed dates and sooner rather than later they’re going back to Beacon Hills once more.

~x~

Once Stiles feels like he’s on top of his junior year, Cora once more presents the idea of setting him up with “this guy I know, who’d be perfect for you.” Stiles, still all too vividly remember other people she’d said that about – one of them’s currently sleeping on their couch with his ever present scarf wrapped around his neck as if it’s actually cold – refuses to even meet the guy, even if he nearly folds when she’s _this_ close to begging. Thankfully he’s saved by the bell in the form of Lydia walking through the front door with a bakery bag in one hand and a tray of coffee in the other.  
When Cora doesn’t resume the discussion he figures that’s the end of it.

He should’ve known better, after all, he’d seen Cora and Lydia sit with their heads together, whispering and occasionally sending him a calculating look.  
But since he didn’t, he doesn’t think anything of it when Cora suddenly takes to complaining about her parents hounding her with questions like ‘when are you going to find a nice partner’, ‘when are we going to meet said partner’ (since she had apparently panicked and claimed she had one) and ‘we’re expecting to meet them at Christmas. Surely, six months is enough to know if this is going to last’.  
Which is how Stiles once again finds himself in Laura’s car though this time Cora’s joined him in the back seat, the two of them awkwardly holding hands every time Laura looks in the rear view mirror smiling like she knows something he doesn’t. If he’d been a little less stressed about exams he probably would’ve questioned how they’re supposed to pretend to be together, considering her entire family knows she’s a lesbian and Stiles isn’t a woman, but he isn’t so he doesn’t, just squeezes her hand reassuringly before going back to read about finger print techniques.

They get to Beacon Hills and Laura heads for the preserve, eventually pulls up in front of a three story house lit up by a plethora of lights, reindeers, santas, even an angel hiding half way around the corner. When they get out of the car the front door opens and a woman who looks like a twenty year older version of Laura steps out, a big smile on her face as she waves at the three of them.  
Stiles keeps a few steps behind Laura and Cora but is drawn in to the warm welcome they’re given, Mrs. Hale’s (“please, call me Talia. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Stiles, we’ve heard so much about you.”) arms warm and firm where they hug him close in greeting for a few seconds before ushering them inside.

The house is warm and smell of the food cooking in the kitchen. They hang up their coats and toe off their shoes before following Talia into the living room. Which seems to be bursting at the seams with the amount of people already gathered there, though Stiles only really notices two things. One: His dad is sitting in Peter Hale’s lap and _Peter’s_ blushing like a virgin on their wedding night, and two: the most beautiful human being Stiles has ever seen is rolling his eyes fondly at them. Stiles can feel his already overworked brain shut off for a while before restarting in time to hug his dad when the man has gotten up and made his way over, engaging in polite small talk with all the Hales he’s heard of but never really met for the few minutes it takes for Talia to reappear and tell them dinner is served.

Stiles is sat between his dad and the eye roller who turns out to be Cora’s brother Derek. Beyond handing each other various dishes they don’t talk, Derek engaged in conversation with Laura on his other side while Stiles is telling his dad which exams he thinks he did good on and which he’s unsure of, then he exchanges a few barb with Peter and compliment Talia and her husband on the food. _Eventually though conversation shifts and at some point Stiles finds himself in conversation with Derek. Not that he says much, but Stiles has spent the last three year with Cora getting fluent in eyebrow and is thoroughly enjoying everything Derek’s has to say to him.  
So much so that he doesn’t notice the table going quiet and the Hale’s staring at him gesticulating and Derek’s nearly there smile, or Cora kicking Peter’s shin to get the conversation going once more._

__

Stiles keeps talking and Derek occasionally interject a few words, offering an opinion here and there, sometimes agreeing and sometimes not with whatever Stiles says. Neither of them protests when plates are placed in their hands and they’re herded towards the kitchen to begin doing the dishes. Stiles washes and Derek grabs a tea towel an dutifully begins drying and putting things away, when they’re done making their way back to the living room and the rest of the Hales, still seemingly deep in conversation.

They’re vaguely aware that at some point everybody else have gone to bed and they’re now the only ones left, Stiles halfheartedly suggesting that maybe they, too, should retire for the night. Derek quirks and eyebrow and Stiles nods, Derek reaching for the remote and soon they’re engrossed in the movie playing, Stiles making comments whenever a thought pops up and Derek offering his two cents when he’s not preoccupied with the way Stiles’ eyes light up when he gets excited or wondering if his moles continues out of sight.  
At some point between the first and last movie they fall asleep and are eventually woken up by Cora emptying a cup of water over their heads. Stiles should probably feel a little bad waking snuggled up with his fake girlfriend’s brother and said brother’s morning wood digging into his backside, but turning and watching the Hales and his dad watching them with an expectant look reminds him of a few things he should’ve remembered earlier. His lightbulb moment is ruined by Derek’s sleep rough voice whispering in his ear;

“She did tell you we’d be perfect for each other.”

And really, if Stiles had been a different person he’d probably have been angry at them for conspiring against him, but he’s way too warm and comfortable in Derek’s arms to muster any such feelings, not even when he sees money change hands. Instead he turns around so they’re lying chest to chest and snuggles closer;

“Indeed she did. Maybe this time she’ll even be right.”

Derek’s grin tells him they’ll do their best to make it so.

[End]


End file.
